*Local* Wildlife

Once again life was disrupted by the presence of a small furry critter inside the house this week. John was away when it began but thankfully arrived home that evening to play the part of the hero and bring peace back to our little world here in Poulsbo. Chaos reigned during the morning hours when, at 4:45 am, the offender was discovered. Roosevelt had brought it into the house and did not want any other members of the household to "butt in" on his idea of *fun* (which meant lots of threatening growling). Zoe was relentless as she sniffed out and uprooted the mouse from various hiding places, even enduring Roosevelt's attacks and scratches. At one point, the mouse found his way to the top of one of the flat panel speakers (5 feet tall) and then attempted  to fly toward the fireplace, only to come up short and drop like a stone on to the back of the dog who was in the middle of a heated discussion with Roosevelt over mouse-ownership rights. Right then, over the sound of the dog/cat cacophony, I knew I had to get out. So I showered, dressed, and gathered my things to go to work. When I left, the mouse was on top of the other speaker and the cat was on the windowsill beneath it. I hoped that when we returned in the evening, the battle would be over and the house would be secured. Unfortunately, there was no proof of that when we ventured into the house (I should say that John went in first as in written in some contract somewhere -I'm pretty sure of this). So, the game was afoot for my Sherlock and he set about to ferret the little creature out of it's too-secure hiding place. Some hysterical moments ensued (for me) (and I don't mean hysterical in the "hysterically-funny" way) as John had the little guy in his hands at one point but it wriggled free to run under the couch. Zoe was called in to assist and with John's muscle and Zoe's speed, they were able to capture the offender. Hopefully, this will not occur again this year as the weather warms and the small criminals do not seek the shelter of the garage.

Speaking of weather, surely the cold is on its way out now to make room for Spring's arrival. February apparently made up for the lack of true winter weather this season  by cramming it all in 28 days. Today the sun is shining and there are  many signs that Spring is ready and willing to move in. We bought a couple of rhododendrons yesterday and John has cleared a fairly large area to plant the lilac bushes along with some other colorful plants. Soon he will be able to place the foundation for the shed. I'll be able to do a little pressure washing of the porch and the deck before setting up the outdoor living spaces that are so nice when it's warmer.

We went to the monthly Farm Breakfast yesterday and were joined by some wonderful friends. What a great way to start a weekend. John had some dental surgery on Friday and recovered from that without a problem. All the running-around errands were completed yesterday, so today will be a day to enjoy being at home. I will make some progress on my course assignments, but will take some time to read as well. Monday comes back soon enough. March is looking good....